Israel’s security cabinet endorses Gaza city military takeover

WEB DESK: Israel’s top security cabinet approved a military operation for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to take control of the Gaza City.

The decision was reached after extensive discussions among the senior officials. It signals a huge escalation in hostilities within the occupied Gaza Strip, nearly two years after Israel initially laid siege.

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Israel’s Gaza Operation – Objectives and Principles

Netanyahu’s Objectives

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu framed the move as ‘essential’ to dismantling Hamas’s infrastructure in the densely populated urban area.

Speaking ahead of the cabinet’s vote, Netanyahu said that Israel’s intention was not to maintain direct governance over Gaza indefinitely.

Instead, he claims that the occupying military aims to eliminate Hamas’s control and ‘eventually’ transfer authority to a civilian administration that excluded both, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.

Operation Framework

The cabinet also ratified a broader strategic framework designed to bring the conflict to an end. It includes disarming Hamas, achieving the ‘safe’ return of hostages held by the group, the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip, and Israeli security control over the territory.

The plan further envisions establishing an alternative civilian government that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority. Israeli officials stated that alternative proposals were considered but deemed unlikely to succeed in defeating Hamas or securing hostages’ release.

Response within Israel

Within Israel, the decision received a mixed response. Families of the hostages were concerned that intensified military actions could endanger their loved ones. They also staged protests against the decision.

Some senior military figures reportedly cautioned about the dangers posed to both, soldiers and civilians during an operation involving urban combat and extensive displacement of Palestinians.

International Response

International response was critical, as well. According to the BBC, the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, described the move as “deeply troubling”. She detailed the potential violations of international law.

Humanitarian conditions in Gaza are already dire, with the local authorities reporting over 60,000 people, including children and women, brutally slaughtered by the occupying regime.

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Civilians also face severe shortages of food, medicine, and water with the entire enclave bombed to smithereens since October 2023.

Hamas Response

Hamas condemned the Israeli decision, accusing Netnyahu of prioritising political aims over the lives of hostages and Palestinians.  

The group cautioned that any imposed civilian leadership not agreed upon by Palestinians would be viewed as another form of occupation.